Skip Weiler’s Post

We asked this question today in our session “From Welcoming to Cooperation: Creating Spaces of Belonging and Purpose” at the Nonprofit Association of Washington. What becomes possible for you when you feel you belong? For our community? P.S. Music can be a great way to create spaces of belonging.

Classical music seems to be a high-pull magnet for myths and misconceptions... Today, as we launched our GivingTuesday campaign, I re-encountered one of the biggest, when asked: 'why would I donate to TYO - it's just for rich kids!' Ah. That cracking sound you hear right now is my heart breaking because - put simply - that's just not true. In donating to TYO, you are in fact donating to: - a program which is 43% kids from public schools, some of whom need fees assistance to participate - kids like the kid I once was - the ones who need bursaries or scholarships to pursue their love of music and experience the opportunities and benefits music participation brings - accessible and inclusive programs which have been proven time and again to grow better humans - ensemble participation increases resilience and social connection, improves academic outcomes and provides lifelong cognitive benefits - programs which punch above their weight in contributing to the cultural life of Tasmanian communities - an organisation which provides work for upward of 60 artistic, education and production specialists every year; and puts a huge amount of effort and resource into training and supporting emerging artists and arts practitioners for the benefit of our sector. TYO is a vibrant and vital part of Tasmania's cultural life and our state arts ecosystem. That's why I'm asking you to leave the myths at the door and consider a donation to TYO this GivingTuesday.

Music education is transformational!

Even as the world shifts constantly around us, our history grounds us in deeply rooted values. The below letter was written by The People's Music School's founder, Dr. Rita Simó. We discovered it in a recent excavation of our storage unit. Handwritten in June 1976, mere months after the original school opened in February, the letter highlights values that continue to define us nearly fifty years on: Our #community has always been there for us from far and wide, donating a big new rug here, a French horn there, a shipment of records all the way from Boston. Rita never skimped on #excellence, insisting that our students were constantly practicing and performing, putting on a flute and piano recital just five months after the school's grand opening. Rita’s #creativity shines through as she draws on resourcefulness to build her bold new enterprise. She took every #opportunity to say yes, to draw people in, to be open to whatever may come her way. And how could all of this happen without #hardwork, exemplified in this precise moment by the dirt under our fingernails as we dug through 48 years of history? These values - which we acronymize as #ECCHO - ground us to this day. Whatever evolves or is disrupted, values matter, and we are always guided by them. What are your organization’s guiding values? What are your own? How do they show up in your histories, your current actions? #musiceducation #values #history

"🎭 Elevate Your Fundraising with Captivating Cabaret Magic! 🎤📚 Stories have united humanity across time. In today's hunger for authenticity and connections, this intimate performance deepens relationships and inspires action, a coup for any fundraising event. Modern cabaret bridges artists and audiences, cultivating personal connections that drive generosity. Chicagoland nonprofits, let's make your event unforgettable. Click here: https://lnkd.in/eh5gTa2j 🙌🎶✨ #Fundraising #nonprofitfundraising #CommunityConnection"

Exercise your Maker Muscle! KID Museum provides a transformative learning experience that helps kids develop skills to solve problems creatively and embrace an #innovator mindset so they are best positioned for future educational and career pathways. Traditionally, not everyone has been encouraged to flex this “maker” muscle. As a young woman in STEM, I spent years being the only or one of the only women in classes, graduate research labs, and business meetings. But along the way, I learned I have the mind of a maker - the worldview at the root of all of KID Museum’s programs: 💡 Imagination - I come up with new ideas and possibilities. 🌻 Reflection - I think about my experiences and observations to help me learn and grow. 👟 Perseverance - I keep trying even why something is harder than I expected it would be. 🛠 Skill building - I practice new skills that will help me express my ideas. 🔭 Exploration - I try new things and am curious about the world around me. 🎯 Initiative - I take action to make my ideas come to life. ⚙ Teamwork - I work with others by sharing what I know, helping when I can, and asking for help when I need it. 🧠 Perspective taking - I think about other people’s points of view and care about how they feel. Join me at the KID Museum Oct 26 to celebrate the power of creativity and innovation. For more info and tickets: https://lnkd.in/d3h59yC

Hope you can tune in, and learn how you can play an important part in writing this story’s subsequent chapters!

As we approach the end of the year, I want to tell you a story that I hope to remember as a lemons-to-lemonade moment for me and Dance Wire. For the first half of 2023, we were feeling on a solidly upward trajectory. We had dialed in our operations and the programs we launched during the pandemic had fully taken shape and were starting to gain traction. We had also recruited a small business coach (shoutout to Kate Holly) to be on our board and had been working diligently with her to shed the scarcity mindset that runs rampant in nonprofits and arts organizations - because well, there is often a complicated mix of real and perceived scarcity to untangle in our sector. Then came the lemons. The summer was a brutal string of notifications from foundations who decided not to fund us, not to fund the arts, or not to fund anyone this year. Arts organizations in Portland and across the country were suffering. Then in late August we got a grant rejection that came with the feedback "the trustees just didn't feel the organization is where it should be after 10 years." At the time, I thought this comment had shattered my soul. As the founder who has worked so hard for the past 10 years to build Dance Wire to where it is - through what often felt like an insurmountable number of obstacles, including a global pandemic that had massive impacts on the dance sector - it felt like a huge punch to the gut to hear this. Oddly, here is where the good news comes in. While our institutional support was unraveling, our 1:1 Sessions were growing. We had a handful of Portland dancers enrolled in our 1:1 Sessions and then someone from Washington DC signed up, and then someone from Rome, Italy! Both found us online and said "THIS is what I've been looking for - support from people who GET dancers!" So after months of trying to reconcile the difference between the upward trajectory I felt Dance Wire was on and the downward spiral of funding, I realized something important. That grant decision, or even that comment, didn't shatter my soul, it shattered only the part of me that was allowing someone else to determine Dance Wire's value in the world. For so many dancers and artists or all kinds, the constant need to validate our work and our worth is exhausting and it chips away at our own ability to see it. And quite frankly, it takes away from our creativity. For Dance Wire 2024 will be about owning our value and supporting and validating all the dancers out there who need to be reminded that the unique talents they bring to the world are valuable. Please make a donation to help us ring in this new year with power and grace! Venmo: @dancewire Website: https://lnkd.in/gc_9dzdt

Dear Friends, Congratulations to the Fear No Music leadership team for being featured on the 2023 Give Guide. This prestigious recognition is a testament to the organization's unwavering commitment to empowering creative minds through music education. As a board member for Fear No Music over the past several years, I've had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the transformative impact that music can have on young people's lives. Fear No Music's ongoing work providing public concerts and creating pathways for youth music education and mentorship composing programs is nothing short of remarkable. Through innovative programs, Fear No Music's Young Composers Project (YCP) creates a safe and supportive environment where youth can explore their musical composing talents, build self-esteem, and find their voice. The organization's dedication to fostering creativity, self-expression, and a lifelong love of music is truly inspiring. In a society that often rewards conformity over individual creativity, Fear No Music's work is more important than ever. FNM provides young people with the opportunity to embrace their individuality, express themselves authentically, and develop the resilience they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. Join me in celebrating Fear No Music's inclusion in the 2023 Give Guide by making a any size donation today. Your contribution, no matter how big or small, will make a real difference in the lives of countless young people. Together, we can ensure that Fear No Music continues to empower creative minds through music education, inspiring and empowering future generations. "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." -Malcolm X #donations #musiceducation #nonprofit #youth

The Kenneth Rainin Foundation's New & Experimental Works (NEW) Program is opening up for applications again this September. We collaborated with Zellerbach Family Foundation and Fleishhacker Foundation to simplify the application process. Explore the resources below to learn about the new Common App for the Arts and our upcoming funding opportunities using this first-of-its-kind tool. This single application process can be used to apply to grants at all three foundations, aiming to save nonprofit organizations' time and resources. 1. Read about The Common App's goals and beginnings: https://lnkd.in/gQTNJeKc 2. Read "Simplifying Funding Applications to Align Action with Values" via Northern California Grantmakers (NCG): https://lnkd.in/gRF38Qi5 3. Attend this NGC webinar on August 15 from 3:30-4:30 PM where we'll discuss how we partnered on The Common App, how it's going and how we hope it'll transform grant processes: https://lnkd.in/grXSxek6 4. Join one of our pre-application webinars. -RSVP for the webinar on August 30 from 1-2 PM: https://lnkd.in/gq77Kn3D -RSVP for the webinar on August 31 from 5-6 PM: https://lnkd.in/g6DJ8VRZ